CLEVELAND – For the second season in a row, the Angels will not make it out of the first month with the same closer they started the season with.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia announced before Friday’s game that veteran left-hander Scott Downs would replace right-hander Jordan Walden in the closer’s role for an undetermined length of time.

“Scott’s going to close for us right now and we’ll get Jordan some innings where he can work on some things,” Scioscia said. “It should be a quick fix for what Jordan needs. He’s been working on some things. We’ll see how he progresses.”

Elevated to closer as a rookie over an erratic Fernando Rodney just three games into the 2011 season, Walden set a franchise rookie record with 32 saves and made the American League All-Star team. But he also blew 10 saves, tied for the major-league lead.

The save opportunities have been few and far between early this year. Walden had his first of the season just a week ago then blew the save in his second opportunity Thursday afternoon, allowing a ‘walkoff’ home run to Brandon Allen in the ninth inning against the Rays.

“When he gets his stuff right, his stuff plays in the closer spot – but he needs to get it right,” Scioscia said of Walden whose fastball can touch 100 mph but who has yet to develop any reliable secondary pitches to go with it.

“His stuff is coming out hot but he needs to do a better job controlling counts and putting guys away when he has the chance. At times, he’s had problems with that.”

Ironically, Rodney is among the AL leaders with six saves in six opportunities for the Rays this month.

Walden said he was trying to “just forget about” Allen’s walkoff home run and “get ready for the next game,” while admitting that was easier said than done. He said he did look at video of Allen’s home run.

All five pitches to Allen in that crucial at-bat were fastballs, often the only reliable weapon Walden takes to the mound. Using him in less crucial points in the game than ninth-inning save situations could give him time to use his changeup and slider in games, Scioscia said, in hopes of gaining confidence and expertise with those pitches.

“It’s tough to experiment in the ninth inning of games,” Scioscia said. “We want to put him in situations where he’s in position to help our bullpen but also be able to throw some pitches when the game is not going to be won or lost on one pitch.”

Walden is only part of the Angels’ on-going bullpen issues. They have lost five games they led in the seventh inning. Angels GM Jerry Dipoto is actively searching for relief help – “looking under every rock,” he said recently – but his most costly decision might have been during the off-season when he opted not to sign an experienced closer to replace Walden and move the hard-throwing right-hander into an apprentice role in the bullpen.

But Scioscia insisted that Walden’s struggles as closer are not an indication that he is ill-suited for the job.

“You have to have special makeup to be a closer,” Scioscia said. “Jordan, for stretches last year, pitched great baseball for us. There were maybe more blown saves than his peers had. But it was not off the charts to where you said maybe he doesn’t have what it takes.

“I don’t think this has as much to do with makeup as the consistency of getting command and getting a consistent breaking pitch – which at times he has had.”

The 36-year-old Downs has been the Angels’ most (only?) reliable reliever since signing as a free agent before last season. But he has never been a full-time closer for long. He had a career-high nine saves in 2009 with the Blue Jays, all before the All-Star break, and has just 17 saves in his career.

NOTES

Right-hander Bobby Cassevah was activated from the disabled list and assigned to Triple-A Salt Lake. Cassevah was bothered by shoulder soreness in spring training and opened the season on a minor-league injury-rehabilitation assignment, posting a 6.14 ERA in eight appearances for Class-A Inland Empire and Salt Lake. … Triple-A catcher Hank Conger has been placed on the disabled list with an elbow injury. Conger is rehabbing at the Angels’ minor-league complex in Tempe and is expected to be sidelined for at least a couple weeks.

SATURDAY

Angels right-hander Dan Haren (0-1, 4.07) is scheduled to start against Indians right-hander Jeanmar Gomez (1-0, 1.93). Game time is 10:05 a.m. PT and it will be broadcast on FOX, KLAA/830 AM and KWKW/1330 AM in Spanish.

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